Wire carrier



April 24, 1962 A. COLE, JR

WIRE CARRIER I" lnuntlfi Filed Jan. 16, 1959 INVENTOR. [ff/12s ZZZ/6 J): BYM

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WIRE CARRIER .HYM WHHI H "Wil IIIHH 58 L. A. COLE, JR

A ril 24, 1962 Filed Jan. 16, 1959 United States Patent 3,031,540 WERE CARRIER Leslie A. Cole, Jr., Muskegon Heights, Mich., assignor to Manning, Maxwell & Moore, Incorporated, Muskegon, Mich, a corporation of New Jersey 7 Filed Jan. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 787,218 11 Claims. (Cl. 191-33) The present invention relates generally to supports for non-insulated, electrical current conductors and concerns more particularly a carrier for, bare, hot wires in systems supplying power to relatively movable collectors.

The carrier of the present invention finds particular utility in traveling crane assemblies which are electrically powered, but it can, of course, be employed in any electrical system utilizing bare hot conductors cooperating with relatively movable currentcollectors. Crane assemblies as referred to above usually include a bridge which may be driven along a track, a carriage that is translatable on the bridge, a vertical hoist carried by the carriage, and a number of electric motors for driving the bridge, translating the carriage and powering the hoist. To supply electric current to the carriage motors, it is common practice to extend a plurality of bare, currentcarrying wires parallel to the crane bridge girder, and to provide the carriage with'a series of collectors slidably engaging individual ones of the wires. The collectors are electrically coupled to the respective motors. In this way, controlled application of electric power to theappropriate wires selectively energizes the motors in a manner desired while the carriage moves freely along the bridge. 1 V h It will be readily apparent that with crane bridges of appreciable length, for example over fifty foot, the bare hot wires must be supported intermediate their length to avoid their coming into contact. A Wire carrier for this purpose must support and insulate the wires while permitting unrestricted movement of the current collectors to and fro along the full length of the wires.

Accordingly, it is the primary aim of the invention to provide a novel hot wire carrier which supports a wire without interfering with the passage of a relatively movable current collector and, together with adjacent carriers, positively retains and electrically insulates the wire so that there is no danger of short circuiting. 1

It is a concurrent object of the invention to provide a carrier or" the type characterized above which completely avoids any likelihood of accidental conduction from the supported bare wire to the member on which the carrier is mounted.

Moreover, it is an object to provide a carrier of the above character which minimizes the danger of accidental collector damage should the relatively movable collector become inadvertently misalined and strike the carrier during relative movement therebetween.

it is also an object to provide a carrier as described above which is quite versatile in permitting varying installations in accordance with the requirements of a particular job.

Furthermore, it is an object to provide a carrier of the type referred to above which is quite economical to manufacture and which may be easily and quicldy installed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

IGURE 1 is a fragmentary view, partially in section, showing an electric power supplying'system in a traveling crane assembly, with the system including carriers of the present invention;

'FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the mounted carriers shown in'FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the clip forming a part of the carriers shown in FIG. 1.

While the invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, I intend to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention'as defined by the appended claims.

Turning first to FIG. 1, there is shown a fragment of an electrically powered traveling crane assembly utilizing wire carriers embodying the present invention. The portion of the crane assembly shown includes a carriage 15 having a wheel 16 which guides the carriage along a trackformed by a crane bridge girder 17. The wheel 16 rides ona rail 18 mounted on the girder 17. It will be understood that the carriage 15 extends from the girder 17 to an opposite, parallel girder (not shown) also having an upper rail on which a carriage'wheel rides. The carriage 15 is thus adapted to travel back and forth along the track defined by the parallel bridge girders.

In order to supply power to the electrically driven elements (not shown) of the traveling crane assembly, an electric power supply system is provided, including a collector post 20 and carrying a plurality of collectors 21, 22 and 23. The collectors 721-23 receive and slide along individual ones of "a plurality of bare wire conductors 31, 32 and 33, respectively. The wires31-33 are strung alongside the girder 17 from one end to the other of the carriage track definedthereby, and for this purpose the wires are anchored and tensioned between end members 34 and 35 fixed at the opposite ends of the girder 17 (see FIG. 2). It can thus be seen that the collectors 2123 remain in firm sliding engagement with the respective wires 3133 as the carriage 15 is moved along its track, and by electrically coupling the collectors to the electric motors on the carriage 15 and selectively supplying electric power tothe wires 31-33, the motors may be energized in all positions of the carriage 15.

In order to prevent the wires 31-33 from contacting the girder 17 and thus shorting the electrical circuits formed thereby, whipping strips preferably in the form of vertical wooden blocks 40 are spaced along the girder. It has been found that one such whipping strip should be provided approximately every 10 feet along the length of the wires to insure safe operation. -In accordance with'the present invention, the wires 31-33 are supported intermediate their length by novel carriers 41, 42 and 43 which do not interfere with movement of the colle'ctors"21-.-23 but which positively insulate the wires from one another. Each of the carriers41-43 of the invention includes a support arm 45 which extends outwardly from the girder 17 beneath and beyond the wire which the carrier supports. A flexible, resilient retaining strip 46 or 46' is secured at the outer end of each carrier support arm and extends upwardly through the path of movement of the collector cooperating with the supported wire. Preferably, the flexible retaining strips 46 extend both above and below their respective arms 45 so that the strips attached to vertically adjacent carriers overlap approximately at the paths of movement of the intermediate collectors (see FIG. 1). In this way, the wires are completely surrounded to prevent their coming into mutual contact while the flexible strips 46 readily permit passage of the collectors along the wires.

In the illustrated assembly, it can be seen that the uppermost wire 31 is not completely surrounded since no carrier is positioned above the carrier 41. But it will be noted that even if the wire. 31 should, for some reason, whip over the adjacent retaining strip 46, it could not contact any other wire in the circuit since the other wires 32 and 33 are completely surrounded. The next passage of the collector 21 will, of course, reposition the wire 31 above the arm 45 of the carrier 41.

It will also be noted that, in the illustrated assembly, the flexible strip 46' of the lowermost carrier 43, has been formed so' that it does not extend below the amt 45 of the carrier. Cutting this strip 46' short in this manner is simply a matter of convenience and appearance since the strip is not required to cooperate witha lower wire carrier.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the carrier support arms 45 are formed of flat, stiflly resilient, dielectric material such as phenolic plastic impregnated fabric material, and the inner ends of the arms are screwed to the sides of one of the whipping strips 40 by means of wood screws 51, 52. By forming the arms of stifily resilient material, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the arms will give and bend if they are struckby a collector which has become inadvertently misalined. In this way the danger of accidental damage to the collectors is minimized. The arms are screwed to the sides of a whipping strip 40 so that the screws cannot be contacted by the bare, current-carrying wires and inadvertently conduct current toa metal portion of the girder 17 a Again referring to the preferred and illustrated embodiment, the flexible retaining strips 46 are preferably formed of sheet neoprene and are secured flatly against the arms 45 soas tolie in a plane at generally right angles to the conductor wires which they support. By so disposing the flexible strips, it will be appreciated that they flex freely to permit passage of the collectors 21-23 along the wires but that they otter substantial resistance to lateral movement of the wires 31-33. In this manner, the wires are positively retained while'movement of the collectors is not impeded.

It will be understood, of course, that the material from i which both the support arms 45 and the retaining strips 46 are formed isdielectric.

In order to secure the retaining strips 46 to the support arms 45, clamps 55 are provided which have a U- shaped portion 56 embracing the retaining strips 46 and a long leg 57 abutting the flat end of the support arm. Bolts 58 securely lock the arm 45, the strip 46 and the clamp 55 together in sandwiched relation, and the fitting of. the strip 46 within the U-shaped portion 56, together with'the flat, abutment of the leg 57 with the end of the arm 45 positively prevents relative twisting movement between the arm and its retaining strip.

Those well versed' in the art will appreciate that the e carriers 41-43 may be manufactured quite economically, and that they can be quickly and easily installed. It will also be observed that the carriers-are quite versatile and readily permit a variety of installations. For example, a series of carriers can be mounted in staggered relation on oppositesides of the whipping strip as is illustrated, or they can be all mounted on the same side of a mounting member. with the adjacent, flexible retaining strips 46 simply being laid one against the other. Furthermore, the length of the flexible retaining strip 46 can be easily modified so that the carriers can be used in installations where the. spacing between adjacent wires varies widely.

I claim as my invention:

' 1. In an electric power supplying system having a generally horizontal bare wire conductor engaged by a relatively movable current collector, the combination comprising, a block of dielectric material disposed at one side of said wire, a dielectric support arm fixed to the side of said block and extending outwardly beneath and beyond the wire, and a flexibly resilient retaining strip secured at the outer end of said arm, said. strip being vertically disposed and extending upwardly through the path of movement, of'said collector. 1

c. '2. In an electric power supplying system having a generally horizontal. bare wire conductor engaged by a relatively movable current collector, the combination comprising, a block of dielectric material disposed at one side of said wire, a dielectric support arm fixed to said,

block and extending outwardly beneath and beyond the wire, a second dielectric support arm fixed to said block and extending outwardly above and beyond the wire, and a pair of flexibly resilient retaining strips, each one secured to the outer end of a respective one of said support arms, said strips being vertically disposed and extending above and below, their respective arms so as to overlap approximately at the pathof movement of said collector. 7

'3. In an electric power supplying system having a generally horizontal bare Wire conductorengaged by a relatively movable current collector, the combination comprising, a block of dielectric material disposed at one side of said wire, a dielectric support arm fixed to the side of saidblock and extending outwardly beneath and beyond the wire, and a flexibly resilient retaining strip secured at the outer end of said arm, said strip being.

formed of flat, flexibly resilient, dielectric material and being disposed parallel to a plane at generally right angles to said wireand in the path of said collector'so as to flex readily upon relative movement of the'collector along the wire while affording substantial resistance to lateral movement of the wire.

4. In an electric power supplying system having a generally horizontal bare wire conductor engaged by a relatively movable current collector, a carrier for the conductor comprising, in combination, a stiffly resilient support arm extending beneath the wire, and a retaining strip fixed transversely of said arm and extending up into and through the. path of movement of said collector, said strip being 'formed of flat, flexibly resilient material and being disposed parallel to a plane at generally rightangles to said wire and in the path of said colector so as to? flex readily upon relative movement of the collector along the wire while affording substantial resistance to lateral movement of the wire.

5. In an electric power supplying system having a generally horizontal bare wire conductor engaged with a relatively movable current collector, a carrier forsupporting the conductor intermediate its ends comprising,

in combination, a dielectric support arm'extending trans- 1 versely beneath the wire, and a retaining strip fixed transversely of 'saidarm and extending up into and through the path of, movement of said collector, said strip being formed of flat, flexibly resilient dielectric material and being disposed parallel to a plane at generally right angles, to said wire and in the path of said collector so as to flex readily upon relative movement of the collector along the wire while affording substantial resistance to lateral movebeneath and outwardly beyond each of said wires, each of said arms carrying at the outer ends respective ones of a pair of dielectric retaining strips. fixed transversely of the arms, said strips being formed of flexibly resilient material' so as to flex readily upon'passage of collectors along the wires while resisting lateral movement of the wires, said pair of strips overlapping so as-to positively isolate said bare wires. 7

7. In an electric power supply system having a generally horizontal pair of parallel bare wire conductors strung adjacent the face of a dielectric member, the combination comprising, a pair of stitfly resilient support arms each secured to said member so that one arm extends just beneath and outwardly beyond each of said wires, each of said arms carrying at the outer ends respective ones of a pair of retaining strips flxed transversely of the arms,

said strips being formed of flat, flexibly resilientmaterial and being disposed parallel to'planes at generally right 8. A wire carrier for supporting a bare hot wire,

comprising in combination, a support arm formed of flat, stiffly resilient, dielectric material having means at its inner end for securing the arm on a mounting member, a flat, flexibly resilient, dielectric strip disposed transversely of the support arm at the outer end thereof, said strip lying flatly against said arm so that both the arm and the strip are disposed parallel to substantially the same plane, and means for securely clamping the arm and strip together so as to prevent relative twisting movement between them. 9. A wire carrier for supporting a bare hot wire, comprising in combination, a support arm formed of flat, stifliy resilient, dielectric material having means at its inner end for securing the arm on a mounting member, a flat, flexibly resilient, dielectric strip disposed transversely of the support arm at the outer end thereof, said strip lying flatly against said arm so that both the arm and the strip are disposed parallel to substantially the same plane, and a clamp snugly surrounding said strip and abutting said arm for securely locking the arm and strip together so as to prevent relative twisting movement between them.

10. A wire carrier for supporting a bare hot wire having a support arm portion formed of flat dielectric material having means at one end for securing the arm 6 on a mounting member, said support arm portion having a flat, flexibly resilient, dielectric strip portion extending substantially transversely of the support arm portion from the opposite end thereof, said support arm portion and said strip portion lying substantially parallel to the same plane.

11. In an electric power supplying system having a plurality of generally horizontal bare wire conductors each engaged by a relatively movable current collector, the combination comprising, a block of dielectric material disposed at one side of said conductors, a plurality of dielectric support arms fixed to said block and extending outwardly beyond and between the wire conductors, said arms having flexibly resilient retaining strips at their outer ends, and said strips being vertically disposed so as to surround the wire conductors passing between said respective arms and adjacent said block.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 629,936 Tracy Aug. 1, 1899 1,014,071 Lemon Jan. 9, 1912 1,485,228 Johnson Feb. 26, 1924 1,612,648 Pollard Dec. 28, 1926 2,343,693 Mitchell Mar. 7, 1944 2,640,114 Wehr May 26, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 123,192 U.S.S.R. Nov. 27, 1958 

